While there are lots of great (and tasty) reasons to choose our foods carefully, a recent story by ABC News illuminates another, very important piece to consider when choosing meat and dairy products. They recently discussed, and aired footage of, extraordinary cruelty to thousands of cows in a factory dairy farm right here in New York state. I’m not really one to get on a soapbox about these huge issues, but I think it’s worth mentioning at least that this is another very good reason to eat locally — and know your farmer. It’s easier to hold someone accountable when you see them each week at the market or visit their farm. It’s good to know that these issues are making it to the mainstream news, but it’s also quite sad to see that we have so far to go.
If you’re interested in learning more about some of these issues, I’d recommend the work of Frances Moore Lappé and Wendell Berry as good starting points.